Like a bargain bazaar in Morocco

JUST a 10-minute walk from the city centre I found a world of counterfeit clothing and bartering more akin to a Moroccan bazaar than to Manchester. I made my way through throngs of teenagers, all clutching carrier bags full of designer clothes, into a number of shops that from the outside look like any you would find in your local precinct.

JUST a 10-minute walk from the city centre I found a world of counterfeit clothing and bartering more akin to a Moroccan bazaar than to Manchester.

I made my way through throngs of teenagers, all clutching carrier bags full of designer clothes, into a number of shops that from the outside look like any you would find in your local precinct.

They have shop-fronts, open-doors, signs that state that they are open to the public and a number of assistants who are willing to help.

Customers, mainly youngsters, crowded around the displays and the streets were littered with discarded shoe boxes At the first I was amazed by the amount of products on display.

T-shirts bearing the labels of sought-after designers such as Diesel and jeans from the likes of Prada were stacked high. Some had tags that showed prices of £220 but I was soon told to ask the assistants how much they would actually cost here. On another rack I found hooded tracksuits emblazoned with the logos of fashion giants Giorgio Armani and Hugo Boss.

Glue

There were also shelves upon shelves of trainers claiming to be made by brands such as Nike and Adidas. From a distance they looked like the real thing. But on close inspection a number of tell-tale signs (such as smudged glue) gave the game away.

When I asked how much each item was I was told nearly everything was £25. That included trainers that if genuine would cost more than £100 and the jeans with the £220 labels.

The T-shirts, claiming to be Adidas' Y-3 and G-Star would have cost me more than £50 in genuine retailers. Here it was two for £15.

I stopped in six shops and spent £150 on goods that, if genuine, should have cost me more than £1,000.

I picked up a Paul and Shark jumper which sell in legitimate retailers for well over £100. After a little bit of bartering it was mine for £30.

When I asked the staff how they could manage to sell me the goods for a fraction of the recommended retail price one told me they were `parallel imports' and another claimed the strength of the pound was the reason

Most outlets were packed with teenagers, many talking to friends on mobiles in excited tones about their bargains.